posted
for the past few years I have made severe changes in whats I offer and what I do. 2 years ago I made a damn honest effort to stop doing all little knock-out aggravating jobs. I also vowed not to those little family favors. You know the ones they ask for a car tag you say no prob. you do the tag 3 times before it's done because you screw it up, we've all done this. NO! is a good word to learn.
*Im going for larger jobs this year, for the most part cutting out the smaller ones
*If you call me on thursday with a request for signs on friday, not my problem call someone else (admit it, these always go wrong)
*All prices raised across the board on everything
*Customers that will not help you "find their logo" they are dumped I dont have time to sit and redesign your logo so you can get a cheapass sign company to do the work anyway (customers that are not serious about getting their logo in vector file to you are not serious about buying quality)
This is about business and changes in the past have proven very worthy. When I first got rid of the small stuff, ie: lettering kids tricycle, airbrushing pooh on kids wall, car tags......it made life simple. it took so much stress out to say NO! I would even hand letter mailboxes, I loved it! I wont even so much as cut vinyl for them anymore, but I will send you to someone that can. We get so tied up in small stuff we cannot grow. I think it doesnt allow us to think bigger, thats how it was with me.
-------------------- You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore
posted
sounds like music to my ears... I've just had my best year, but it ended with the departure of a very efficient & talented right hand man, & the acquisition of a newbie helper... as a result I've found that I lost my squeegee callouses.. & any remaining patience for piddily crapola signs that aren't worth the time to write an invoice, let alone produce. I think I'll follow Bruce's plan for 07 (or was it Si's plan for '91)
posted
I absolutely agree with everything you said with one exception. I guess it all depends on how you look at things (your business philosophy). We used to distain the small stuff and our average ticket was about $600; that's when I had my custom sign shop. Now, as a franchisee, we have built our business mostly on the small stuff. We welcome the little jobs because it means good cash flow, unlike most big jobs. I have a saying "the big fish eat up the little fish". The stress might not come from the little fish after all; it might just be the stress of those big jobs languishing in the shop, taking up valuable table space for days and weeks, preventing you from doing those little knockout banner and coro jobs that pay well and quickly. I don't rely on a backlog for job security; there really is always another job just about to come in the door, call, fax or email. When you can bang out simple little jobs and make $100 - $300 per hour, depending on how productive your shop is, it suddenly makes those jobs seem a little less irritating. Many of the small jobs are also paid for with pictures of dead presidents - cash. The cash goes into the safe for our vacations. Every time I get paid in cash my memory is refreshed by the thought of reeling in Alaskan halibut and king salmon, riding a bus thru Denali National Park, Scuba diving in Cozumel, people watching on Malibu or Venice beach, skiing in Vail, touring Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Leichtenstien, Belgium, or smuggling guns into Canada. Maybe it's just me but I don't like the jobs you have to be married to anymore; my preference is the many little jobs that make a lot of people happy and many of the ones that I've done small stuff for in the beginning later placed big orders.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Ricky Jackson: When you can bang out simple little jobs and make $100 - $300 per hour, depending on how productive your shop is, it suddenly makes those jobs seem a little less irritating. Many of the small jobs are also paid for with pictures of dead presidents - cash.
If it pays well, we'll do it. We certainly won't go out of our way for a little job, like make a special trip to the supplier for a forty dollar job, but if we're working at a dealership and somebody wants thier initials painted on thier door, hey , it takes five minutes and $20 is in my wallet. They're happy and I'm happy.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
quote:Originally posted by Ricky Jackson: When you can bang out simple little jobs and make $100 - $300 per hour, depending on how productive your shop is, it suddenly makes those jobs seem a little less irritating. Many of the small jobs are also paid for with pictures of dead presidents - cash.
If it pays well, we'll do it. We certainly won't go out of our way for a little job, like make a special trip to the supplier for a forty dollar job, but if we're working at a dealership and somebody wants thier initials painted on thier door, hey , it takes five minutes and $20 is in my wallet. They're happy and I'm happy.
Something else. So many folks refer to magnetics as "crap work" and why bother with them. I can remember when that "crap work" was a part of every sign shops daily routine, truck lettering on a bench if you will. No, it wasn't portfolio work but it wasn't looked at with the disdain it is today. Everybody knows the reason but I won't touch that one with a ten foot pole.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
call me. I have made the same decision to cut out some of the smaller jobs that waste my time. I have a very good plan and have put it to use.
In the last month I have sold a $32,000 job, an $11,000 job, and a $17,000 job. I think it is gonna work. That's a hell of a lotta magnetics doing it the old way.
I am going to let the other shops fight over the small stuff. I know I sound brash and cocky sometimes, but this is business.
937-465-0595
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Ricky hit the nail on the head regarding small pita jobs. They CAN lead to much bigger things.
I lettered a mailbox for a guy several years ago. Turned out he was a trucker and I ended up lettering 3 or 4 trucks for him over a period of a couple of years. He started driving for a large trucking company and ended up marrying the female president of that company. I guess at one point she was discussing, over supper, her displeasure with the sign company they were using. He mentioned that he had received great service from me and I got a call. That was about 12-13 years ago.
Without dragging out all the invoices I would guess that that first mailbox job has, over the years, turned into perhaps $400,000 worth of jobs.
I'll keep on doing the mailboxes and snowmobile numbers, ya never know what might become of them.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
Its hard to be everything for everyone. I have had the same experiences over the years. winter is the worst for me. every body wants you to do things that have never been done before "WHAT" but they dont want to pay the price for your time . As I was taught " thats just how it is " summers coming and I know I'll be Back in the saddle agian kissin ass. Cheers Cam
-------------------- Cam Brooks Academy star Tattoo Company Brooks Graphics 4325 N. Academy Blvd.Colo. Springs Colo. 80918 719-260-7827 weslakecam@aol.com Posts: 4 | From: Colorado Springs ,Colorado | Registered: Jul 2005
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